Dan Campbell opened up his press conference on Monday with some bad but not entirely unexpected news. The Lions head coach offered up the information that second-year DT will miss the rest of the season after undergoing back surgery during the team’s bye week.
“Levi, about a week ago, had surgery on his back,” Campbell said. “He is out for the season.”
Onwuzurike has not played in 2022. He aggravated the back injury that has plagued him since his college days at Washington on the very first rep of padded practice this summer.
When asked for more detail on the specifics of the injury, Campbell described the issue as “a disk” in his lower back.
“It’s a last resort,” Campbell said of the surgery, adding that both Onwuzurike and the team consulted with multiple doctors to assess his prognosis.
